Fireworks
by LivesUnderTheSea
Summary: Late bonfire fic with very unoriginal title (but it's nearly midnight!) Slightly sherry, in my true style. Reviews VERY appreciated and this fic is COMPLETE! Finally! One I've actually managed to complete! Short chapters, short storyline, short fic. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

"Aw, come on Guv," Gerry whined like a toddler, as he held the black cardboard box out as an offering and the light bounced off of the shiny images on the front.

Sandra shook her head, but was amused by Gerry's efforts and expression of a disappointed frown- just when she thought he couldn't act more like a child...

"No Gerry. We've got a job to do anyway. We have to be set up with surveillance by five and-"

"Did you know, the Catherine Wheel is named after Catherine of Alexandria who was sentenced to death by the torturous breaking wheel. But when she touched it, the wheel itself burst into pieces, mysteriously. Brian interrupted, as he walked into the middle of the room.

"Yeah," Gerry chuckled "And if it 'appens to fly off the fence and hit a dog, it's a Sandra Wheel!"

Jack and Brian erupted into aging laughter, a sound that had become comfortably familiar in the UCOS office. Sandra looked over to Gerry, trying desperately to suppress a smile, that just resulted in a smirk, and stuck two fingers up at him. Her gaze fell and she spun around, retreating to her office.

"You shoot one bloody dog." She shouted back, albeit with a grin.


	2. Chapter 2

The team had been working on a case involving a murder of Jack Best, stabbed to death in a back alley of Chinatown in 2004. Recently a witness had come forward, claiming Jack was her drug dealer and was due to meet him the day after his death. There was a suspicion by this witness- Jemima Ceal- that Jack as meeting someone for fresh supplies, which would make his death not just murder, but a drug deal gone very wrong. Since this initial source, further information had been brought to light, in true UCOS fashion, and the result had been a tip off of a similar deal happening with a strong suspect in their enquiries. Tonight.

"But why'd ya volunteer us?" Gerry had argued at hearing the prospects for his Friday night.

"Because we're the team who have done the donkey work, Gerry." she had started, as she crossed her arms and perched on the back of the loveseat, behind Gerry. "Don't you want to be out there showing 'those young coppers how it's done'?" she mocked the pensioners' old sayings and the common belief that had lingered in the team's morals since its setup.

"Yeah, but it's-" Gerry began but stopped mid sentence as Sandra pointed her finger at him.

"Don't tell me you're still moody because we can't do fireworks!" Sandra grinned as Jack and Brian chuckled in the background.

Gerry stood up, trying not to laugh himself, realising how transparent he was in his Guv's eyes.

"Yeah, maybe I am," He crossed his arms and took a step closer to Sandra.

"Right," Jack intervened before Sandra could respond. "If this is our guy, if we manage to catch this Chuck Camo, and he does turn out to be our man, Gerry gets to set off the bloody fireworks. If not-"

"He buys the drinks for a week!" Sandra claimed, grinning.

"And toffee apples," Brian piped up, spectating from the kettle.

Sandra held out her hand and Gerry smiling, shaking it.

"Deal."

"Right, let's get this settled then." Sandra walked away to retrieve her things. Fireworks or not, this was going to be a long night...

"


	3. Chapter 3

"Is he even gonna turn up?" Gerry threw his hands up and they crashed back down onto the sides of the car seat.

Sandra smiled over to him.

"The only reason you're so impatient is because you're worried you won;t be able to set off your bloody fireworks." Sandra teased, turning to face him, before they both looked over the dashboard at Sandra's illuminating phone.

"Yeah, right." and snapped it into her pocket. "Got him."

"Interview with Charles Camo commencing at 8:46 pm. Detective Superintendent Pullman and Brian Lane present. For the benefit of the tape, Mr Camo has declined legal representation."

"So Mr Camo, what were you doing tonight? Because the drugs found at the scene are being forensically examined as we speak and it's only a matter of time before we're able to charge you with possession and intent to supply." Brian waffled on, but nonetheless, Chuck sank ever so slightly into his seat.

"But you see, Chuck- mind if I call you that?- we aren't investigating your activity tonight." Sandra leant forward, as Mr Camo's expression became confused, although Sandra swear she saw a glint of guilt.

"Jack Best" Sandra clarified in a very blunt tone and she was infuriated by his blase response.

"Who?" He shrugged off.

Brian filled him in on the brief case details, although he was just as sure as Sandra was, that Chuck knew more than even he did- that'd be a first!

"Stabbed 4 times to the lower abdomen behind a recyling bin in a back lane off of a tea shop in Chinatown, appproximately at 10:30 on the 22nd April 2004." Brian paused, "He was under surveillance for claims of dealing illegal drugs 6 months prior to his death" Sandra would have, in a time before UCOS, seen this lying as an immoral tactic, but hey, it did the job. Hinting at the drugs was a clever way of letting Chuck know they knew. "He-" Brian was interrupted by a click as the door flew open and Gerry stood in its arch.

"Interview suspended at 8:58" Sandra hit the recorder and they before left the room.

"Just has Camo's phone records back. Because it was less than 5 years ago, we were able to trace his calls on the 22nd, around the time Best died." Jack explained.

"Don't tell me," Sandra took the printed sheet from Jack, a grin growing on her face and she strided back to the interview room with Brian in toll.

"You're lying, Mr Camo." Sandra announced, sitting back iand crossing her arms. Before he could reply, she continued in confidence. "We have phone records- your phone records of the 22nd April 2004 and guess who-"

"I think I need a solicitor now."


	4. Chapter 4

Back in the office, Jack began packing up the whiteboard of their investigation as Brian tucked into and orange.

"No duty solicitor available until the morning," she announced, plonking herself down in front of Jack.

"So who wins?" Gerry asked, from the corner of the room, startling his Guv.

"What?" It had been a long day and Sandra could feel the fog thickening over the junctions and highways of concentration in her mind.

"Fireworks!" He cried out, half desperate, half excited.

There was a communal sigh but Sandra caught the disappointment in Gerry's eyes, and instantly reached for her coat.

"Sandra Pullman, admitting defeat? Well I never..." Jack marvelled light-heartedly and she led her team out of the door.

"Yeah, well don't get used to it. And any more cracks at shooting dogs and I'll make sure you don't forget it, _Gerald._ " Sandra looked back, grinning brilliantly as he chuckled.


	5. Chapter 5

They had communed at Brian's, as Esther had prepared a late dinner- considering the most Sandra has eaten all day was the portion of chips she had shared with Gerry in the car.

"Right," Gerry rubbed his hands in victory, and Brian unpacked the commercial pack of gunpowder, firing off useless facts on the subject.

"Ya got any matches, Esther?" Gerry stood up.

"I'll go," Sandra quickly responded, before Esther moved her lips, and made her way to the door.

"You alright, Guv?" Gerry stood in the middle of the kitchen as Sandra reached up into the cupboard for the lighter.

She spun around to greet him, retrieving the lighter.

"Yeah," she sighed, clearly exhausted. "You know, the last time I set off fireworks, I was 13 and my Dad nailed a Catherine wheel too tightly to the fence and burnt a hole in it." She smiled, her eyes fogged with fatigue. Gerry chuckled lightly at the story and their eyes met again.

"Thank Gerry." Sandra softly smiled back to him and he wrapped his arm around her.


End file.
